KR Recommends: The Kin

The two Australian brothers--Isaac and Thorry Koren are pictured on either side of Matt Pinfield...a VJ I once really appreciated from the glory days of MTV2 (can't say I know much of what he's up to these days).

So a couple of weeks ago I went with Josh to see a concert at this little venue called The Troubadour. We were there primarily to see The Pat McGee band--a group who hails from the part of Virginia where Josh attended college. They did play a great set, no doubt, but the highlight of my evening was catching the opening act--The Kin.

There have been a select few bands that I've ever been introduced to live who have made me think, "I need to get their cd!"
There was the group Endochine from when I saw Bob Schneider at the Cabooze in 2004.
There was the Zutons from when I saw Muse at the Quest in, well, I think it was 2004.
And now there is The Kin.

These guys join the ranks of Great Musical Pairings of brothers: Neil and Tim Finn (who have graced the bands Split Enz and Crowded House besides doing their own stuff); Cinjun and Shelby Tate (Remy Zero), The Weiss brothers from mewithoutYou

Here's a paragraph from the band's site on their bio page:

The Kin blends the atmospheric musical wave of old school U2 and groove pop sensibilities of Duran Duran with the vocal soul of Jeff Buckley. The Kin juxtapose dark melodies with catchy hooks and solid musicianship, garnering comparisons to everything from the Cure to Coldplay. – BMI

Ok, how could I NOT like them...really?

On top of it all, they are 'goodpeople'! Their website mentions that they have done various fund raisers for relief in Darfur and a boys and Girls club in NYC.

I highly suggest you check out their latest album Rise and Fall. If you don't like it, you can hit me, but I suspect you'll like it. :)

Notable Quotes

...that have came to my attention this weekend.

1) "...experiential pain and suffering are our earthly teachers, the patient Laureates, the poets who sing to us of a higher life. If we were content on this earth we would not desire a different life. Pain and suffering instill in our souls a 'homesick' longing to be transported to a world free of pain. They remind us of the promised room God has gone and prepared ahead of us. Dickinson alludes that pain and suffering are part of God's supreme plan to make us yearn for his heavenly paradise."
--from an article by a woman named Karin L. Becker

2)[This happened after the Kairos service last night]
My friend Andrew, looking at a guy named Tom as he walked up to us eating what appeared to be a sandwich:
"Is that the communion bread?!"
Tom, totally unphased:
"With Cheese!"

Random Thoughts collected from the last few days

1) When I was in confirmation class (a Lutheran thing) back in the day, our Pastor spoke a lot about how God was a God of order, not chaos. Making order out of chaos is the closest I get to emulating God's creativity in creation. This is one reason why I enjoy magnetic poetry. I also realized that cleaning can feel like this too. I guess that's why I like cleaning...puts everything back in order...and the dirtier the starting point, the more fulfilling the final result.

2) I hate to inconvenience people. Inconveniencing people is inevitably a part of life. I wish I was better at it. I'm guessing the art of boldly asking for inconvenient things is something I'll have to learn through many painful lessons of preferring to chew my tongue off.

3) In Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy, he talks about the issue of forgiveness and specifically the petition in the Lord's Prayer where it says, 'Forgive us our sins/debts/trespasses as we forgive those who s/d/t against us.' Willard uses an interesting term to elaborate on forgiveness. That word is pity. That's a whole new realm to think about, I think...and in some ways it makes forgiving somebody a little easier if I think I need to have pity on them (and more humbling for those times I need to seek pity from others).

Letter to the Editor

In Me
Can Your purposes prevail?
Can death be swallowed up in life?
Will you coax my clenched fists open
to let go of the sorrow I hold so dear?
Will you teach my frozen fingers
to hold onto the joy
that seems to me, a fleeting bird
but that you said
would make its home in my heart?

In Me
Can you fill all my emptiness with your love?
Will you anchor me with a faith
that can weather any storm?
Will you fill my mouth with your words
so that when I open my lips
the 'right thing to say' would pour forth
rather than be strategically extracted
like a tooth?

In Me
Can I ever hear your voice?
Guiding
Encouraging
Correcting
Speaking words of Love?
If I call it a prayer,
Will you listen to all of my little stories
that bore everyone else?
Will you be the friend that never leaves my side
and gets every context I walk through?

In Me
Will you reveal your truth?
Can you help me to understand--
both for your general audience, and for me personally?
Can you help me to trust You
so that when the enemy points his finger at me,
Even if I can't laugh it off,
At least I can seek your comfort
as I cower in the shadows?

In Me
Can I breathe you into these
sin-saturated lungs?
Can I ooze you out of my pores
when the heat is on?
Can you be the fire that dances behind my eyes
when I hear your name mentioned?
Will you be the one part of me
that strangers and friends covet for themselves?

In Me
Can I find You?
And in You...
can I be?